Switzerland

Photo: Toronto Marlies forward and Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Brandan Leipsic is currently fourth in scoring for the Marlies with 13 goals and 31 points in 42 games this season (courtesy of Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire)

Sticks are both figuratively and literally on fire in this week’s edition of Prospect Impressions. Andrew Mangiapane and Brendan Leipsic score impressive goals, joining a trio of players in Europe who provided creative entries of their own. Make sure to check in this week to see why Bobby Ryan’s snipe will forever be known as the “puppy goal!” Read more»

Photo: ZSC Lions forward and 2016 prospect Auston Matthews is ranked third in points per game (1.22) in the NLA, where he has scored 20 goals and 33 points in 27 games this season (courtesy of MARKKU ULANDER/AFP/Getty Images)

At roughly the halfway point of the 2015-16 hockey season, the picture for the upper portion of the 2016 NHL Draft is becoming a bit clearer, in part due to the recently completed World Junior Championship that took place in Helsinki, Finland. Read more»

Photo: 2016 NHL Draft prospect Alexander Nylander of the Mississauga Steelheads and Olli Juolevi of the London Knights go head-to-head in an OHL match this weekend after both turning in impressive performances at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship (courtesy of Aaron Bell/OHL Images and Terry Wilson/OHL Images)

Prospect Faceoff returns in 2016 with a huge home-and-home series in Boston, as two of NCAA hockey’s best programs play a pair of games this weekend. With the World Junior Championship now complete, a number of high-end players return to their regular lineups and are ready for a big second half. Among them, two high-end 2016 draft-eligible skaters go head-to-head, a blue-chip Philadelphia Flyers prospect returns to the WHL, and one of Switzerland’s finest has a new home in the QMJHL. Plenty more this week as Prospect Faceoff ramps up again! Read more»

Photo: Team USA forward and 2016 prospect Auston Matthews finished the 2016 IIHF World Junior Tournament with seven goals and four assists in seven games (courtesy of MARKKU ULANDER/AFP/Getty Images)

Coming into the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship, Team USA forward Auston Matthews was considered the top prospect for the 2016 NHL Draft competing at this event. Matthews did nothing to dent that reputation over the course of the tournament as he finished tied for fourth in WJC scoring with teammate and fellow 2016 prospect, Matthew Tkachuk. Read more»

Photo: Team Switzerland forward Denis Malgin led his country in scoring at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship, and was a main reason the Swiss avoided relegation (courtesy of Chapin Landvogt/HF)

Team Switzerland didn’t turn in a particularly impressive showing in the preliminary round of the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship, but they still managed to avoid a demotion to the D1A level by defeating Belarus, two games to none, in the best-of-three relegation round. Read more»